Dutchess County looks to ban kratom
County exec wanted full ban, legislators seek exception for ‘natural leaf that many adults use responsibly’
The Dutchess County Legislature will vote on Monday night to ban the substance kratom from gas stations and convenience stores across the county – but not to the degree the county executive had originally proposed.
Kratom, Mitragyna speciosa, is a tropical evergreen tree from Southeast Asia in the same family as the coffee plant. Its leaves have been traditionally chewed and brewed for centuries, but modern manufacturers are now synthesizing the plant’s properties to create dangerous, unregulated products that are currently available over-the-counter across the country.
The supplement claims to have a variety of uses from increasing energy, reducing pain to even easing the symptoms of quitting opioids.
While currently legal across the United States, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration calls kratom “a drug of concern,” and as of July 1, announced its intent to re-classify the supplement as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, the same category as heroin and LSD.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Poison control centers in the United States received more than 3,400 reports about use of kratom from 2014 through 2019. These included reports of death. Side effects reported included high blood pressure, confusion and seizures.”
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino recently put out a public statement calling for the full ban of kratom, including the natural leaf. Under Serino’s proposed legislation, any person found to be selling or distributing Kratom or a Kratom-derived product, with limited exceptions, would be subject to civil penalty up to $1,500.
“My top priority is keeping our community safe and healthy, especially our children,” Serino said. “Many families aren’t aware of the dangers of kratom because it’s often marketed as a natural product and it is so easily accessible. But ‘natural’ doesn’t always mean safe and public health data shows kratom-related deaths are rising.”
The county’s legislature has proposed to only prohibit products that exceed a certain threshold, with a ban on synthetic derivatives.
According to a statement from representatives, the county legislature’s resolution “by contrast draws a sharp, defensible line between the traditional plant and the predatory, high-potency concentrates driving dependence and overdose and then hits those concentrates harder than the county executive proposed. Rather than a flat fine, the new proposed law adds strict liability, escalating penalties for repeat offenders, a separate violation for every unit sold, and jurisdiction over online sellers shipping into the county.”
The DEA’s current move to temporarily place the drug as a Scheduled I substance is aimed at synthetic substances, not low-concentrated, naturally-derived kratom leaf.
“Responsible adults should retain the right to access natural kratom leaf for its traditional uses, including energy, focus, and pain management,” legislators added.
“Our responsibility is to respond to emerging public health threats before they become larger crises,” said Dutchess County Legislator Trevor Redl of Poughkeepsie. “This focuses on the most dangerous concentrated and synthetic kratom products and gives our county health department the tools to enforce those protections.”
No other counties in the Hudson Valley have a current ban on kratom in place, though Suffolk County on Long Island has banned the substance. New York State law allows use for those 21 and up, and requires strict labeling and consumer warning disclosures on packages.
The legislature will vote on the resolution during their August 10 board meeting beginning at 6:30pm. Livestream: https://totalwebcasting.com/view/?id=dutchess
Dutchess County Legislative Board Meeting
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 6:30 pm
22 Market Street, 6th floor, Poughkeepsie
Open to the public
Agenda: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Calendar-Page.htm
Livestream: https://totalwebcasting.com/view/?id=dutchess
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